Optical binoculars and monoculars are widely used by observing persons in large audiences and in other scenarios where the observing persons are located at a significant distance from the performance. For example, opera or theatre spectators may use binoculars or other optical telescopes to obtain a closer view of a special expression or detail on the stage of the observed performance. In a similar fashion, sporting event spectators may use optical binoculars to obtain a closer view of the sporting players or game play. Another usage of optical binoculars is at outdoor viewpoints—such as locations where visitors use a coin-operated tripod mounted binoculars to view detail in the landscape. However, in these and other uses of optical binoculars, the spectator is forced to focus his or her eyesight through the binoculars and thus disconnect from the wider picture while looking through the binocular lenses.
As a result, limited mechanisms have been developed to provide alternative displays and enhance the spectator perspective. For example, in sports arenas and in large music or dance shows, the stage or playing field is often augmented by one or more video screens that display zoomed-in video of the performers. The spectators, however, do not have control of the video scene and are often not able to view a desired person or object, because the video that is displayed is dependent on a director or video producer's choice.